Machine for use in heel manufacture



J. H. POPE.

MACHINE FOR USE IN HEE L MANUFACTURE.

APPLHZATXON FILED OCT-10,1918.

Patented July 13, 1920.

UlTED STATES A'l'hl'l' ENE.

JOSEPH I-I. IOPE, 0F I-IAI/IILTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR T0 UNITED SHOE MACHINERY CORPORATION, OF PATERSON, NEW' JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

MACHINE FOR USE IN HEEL MANUFACTURE.

Application filed October 10, 1918.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Josnrr-r H. Porn, a citizen of the United States, residing at Hamilton, in the county of Essex and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain 1m provements in Machines for Use in Heel Manufacture, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like refer ence characters on. the drawings indicating like parts in the several figures.

This invention relates to machines for use in heel manufacture, and has particular reference to a holder for maintaining heel blanks, having certain characteristics, in column formation, at certain stages in the progress of their manufacture.

It is generally realized that it is advantageous to keep heel blanks in orderly arrangement and under control during the en ti re process of their manufacture and, owing to their characteristic shape, the most satisfactory way in which to do this is to keep them piled one upon another, in column formation. This is most advantageously effected by the use of an elongated holder and is a com 'iaratively simple matter when the heel blanks are straight and have their flat tread and seat faces parallel. A large proportion of heels, however, are pitched, having included in their structure one or more wedge lifts and their opposite flat faces are consequently not parallel. but are at an angle to each other. Difliculty has been experienced in keeping such heels in columns on account of this lack of parallelism. Attempts have been made to overcome this difficulty by stacking the heels with their breasts facing alternately in opposite directions,the wedge of one heel thus neutralizing the wedge of the adjacent heel. There are certain objections, however, to this system, inasmuch as it is usually desirable that the heels be maintained with their breast faces all in the same direction. This is particularly true of that type of heel holder in which a column of freshly built heel blanks is held under pressure while the paste is drying, and I have selected for illustration herein one specific embodiment of my invention by means of which this particular problem is successfully solved. It should be understood, however, that the in- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 13, 1920.

Serial No. 257503.

vention is not limited in its utility to this partlcular use, but is capable of a wide range of applications in heel holders of different sorts for use in various stages of heel manufacture.

The object of the present invention is to produce a heel holder for maintaining heel blanks in column formation which may be used successfully with pitched or wedge heels and in a preferred embodiment of the invention, with straight heels as well. In pursuance of this object an important feature of the invention consists in the provision of an elongated holder for a column of heel blanks constructed and arranged to permit its longitudinal contour to be varied. This is preferably accomplished by making the holder flexible and providing means for bending or curving it longitudinally to accommodate stacks of heel blanks of various curvatures resulting from various angles between the opposite flat faces of the blanks. The faces of the adjacent blanks may thus be maintained in contact and the blanks may be satisfactorily held under pressure while the paste is drying, and the blanks will emerge from the holder in proper, orderly arrangement for subsequent handling. In another aspect of the invention, improved manually retracted automatic means is provided for advancing a column of heel blanks under pressure through a friction tube or holder with a consequent minimum amount of exertion and attention on the part of the operator and maximum speed of production.

Other features and advantages of the invention will become apparent in reading the following detailed description of the specific embodiment referred to in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 1s a view in slde elevatlon of a machine embodying one form of the inven-.

A base 10, which. may be secured to the floor in any suitable manner, is provided with a socket for an upright support 12 which is secured in the base oy a set screw 14. At the upper end of the support 12 is secured, by means of a set screw 16, a head 18 provided with lateral supporting brackets 20 in which are secured by means of set screws 22 a pair of parallel standards 24:. The-standardsQd carry, at their upper ends, a horizontal brace member 26, and. beneath the brace member 26 a horizontal supporting member 28. A. pair-of brackets 30. rise from the supporting member 28. Each bracket is split at 82 and providedywith a clamping screw 3d to secure, in position in the bracket, an elongated flexible rod 36. The two rods 36 are maintained substantially parallel throughout their length and constitutelongitudinally flexible supporting means for the br ast faces. of a column of heel blanks, one of which. is. indicated in dotted: lines at 38in Fig. 2, Other pairs of rods 40, 42 supported. by means to be described. hereinafter form, in combination with the rods 36, what is virtually a skeleton trough or tube arranged to. maintain a plurality of heel blanks in column. formation, by engagement with their edges.

While my invention hasutility when em: bodied the form of a magazine or container for a column of heel blanks, wherein no. substantial; amountof pressure is exerted upon. the edges of theblanks, l have illustrated herein an elaborated form of the invention in which the holder is. constructed and arranged to engage the edges of the blanks frictionally and to; hold them under pressure. To this end, means is. provided for maintaining theflexible rods, 36, 40, 42 in substantiallyparallel relation to. each other and in frictional engagement with, the edges; of the heel blanks in the column; con tained in the holder.

Referring to Fig, 3, which shows oneof a series of four similar devices, located in spaced relation along the length of the holder, a bracket member 4A is provided with spaced, upward projections L6 in which the rods 36 are secured in the same manner as in the brackets 30. 'lhemember 44 also has; laterally projecting ears 48, in

which are pivoted arms 50, each of which carries atits upper end a pivoted: finger 52. The rods 40, 42 are secured near opposite ends of-the fingers52= in a manner similar to that in which the rods 36 are secured inthe projections 46. Each arm projects below the ear lS in which it is: pivoted and is perforated at its lower end'to permit the free passage ofan internally threaded bushing as having a collar 56 secured: to its outer end by a set screw 58. The collar 56 is slotted at 60 to receive a pin 62 mounted in the lever 50, the purpose of which is to prevent rotationv of the said collar. The inner end of the bushing M is provided with a flange 6%, between which and a washer 66, bearing against the inner face of the lever 50, is a compression spring 68. The two internally threaded bushings are engaged by. a right and left screw 70, provided with a thumb wheel 72, held from lateral movement in a slot 74 in the member 44.

As will be apparent from an inspection of; Fig. 3, rotation. of the thumb wheel 72 will move the bushings 5% toward or from each other, and eonsequentlyivill move the opposite levers50 simultaneously toward or from each other to adjust the size of the holder to the size of the heel blank to be handled. The pivotal mountings of the hugers 52 permit. the rods 40, 42 supported. therein to adjust themselves to the-shape of the blank andtopressthe blank against the breast supporting rods 36. The springs 68, when thescrew is properly adjusted, produce frictional. pressure of the rods against the edges of the heel blanks.

A, presser 7.6 is pivoted at 7 8 to a lever 80, pivotally mounted at 82 on a supporting member 84: and provided at its. upper end with. a manually operable handle 86. A pull spring 87 is attached at one end. to the lever and at theiother. end; toa stationary hook 88 carried. by the member 28. The )TQSSQB 76 isthus automatically actuated to engage the column of heel blanks and force it toward the ri ght, as viewed in, Fig. 1, but bemi nually retracted into the position indicated in dotted lines, to permit the in-. sertion of a fresh blank. After such insertion, thehandle 86 is released. and, by means of the spring 87., the whole. column. of blanks is moved through a distance equali tothe height of one. blank, and the blank at the extreme right handv end of the holder is forced out.

Thelongitudinal contour of the holder is maintained; substantially straighter in any desired; degree of curvature by the following means: At, or near, the outer ends of the rods 36 are secured members 84, to one of which, reference has already been made. Each ofthese. members 84- is pivoted at 90 to a bar or red 92, which is in turn pivoted to the base 10 at 94. Each member 84 also has pivoted to it at 96 a, connecting rod 98. The two connecting rods are pivotally connected to. the opposite endsof a rocker member 100 mounted upon a. rock shaft 102 supported; in brackets 104C extending upwardly from the member 18. A set; screw 106, threaded. through. one of the brackets 104 bears. upon the rock shaft 102 and serves to maintain the arm 100 in. any angular position to which it may be adjusted. By loosening this set screw and turning the rocker arm, the contour of the holder, formed by the flexible blank engaging rods, may be varied,

as desired, Within such limits as to accommodate the holder to heel blanks having their opposite flat faces in various angular relations and to cause the blanks to be maintained in column formation with the faces of adjacent blanks in contact With each other.

It Will be observed, that, by my invention, I have provided for "maintaining the heel blanks in uniform, orderly arrangement under pressure While the paste is drying and for delivering the blanks successively, all similarly arranged, and in the best possible condition for subsequent handling.

Having described my invention, What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is 1. A machine for use in heel manufacture, comprising an elongated holder constructed and arranged to contain a column of heel blanks face to face, and means for varying the longitudinal contour of said holder.

2. A machine for use in heel manufacture, comprising an elongated holder for a column of heel blanks arranged face to face, constructed and arranged to permit its longitudinal contour to be varied.

3. A machine for use in heel manufacture, comprising an elongated holder constructed and arranged to maintain a plurality of heel blanks in column formation by engagement with their edges, and having its longitudinal contour variable to produce a corresponding variation in the longitudinal con tour of the column of blanks.

4t. A machine for use in heel manufacture, comprising an elongated holder for main taining a plurality of heel blanks in column forlnation, constructed and arranged to maintain the blanks with their breast edges in register and the flat faces of adjacent blanks in contact with each other regardless of the angular relation between the opposite flat faces of a single blank.

5. A machine for use in heel manufacture, comprising an elongated holder for maintaining a. pin 'ality of heel. blanks in column formation, constructed and arranged for ad justnient to accommodate columns of blanks having their opposite flat faces in various angular relations.

6. A machine for use in heel manufacture, comprising an elongated friction tube for holding a column of heels under pressure constructed and arranged to permit its longitudinal contour to be curved to various degrees.

7. A machine for use in heel manufacture, con'iprising an elongated flexible holder for a column of heel blanks arranged face to face, and means for maintaining the holder with its longitudinal axis either in a straight line or a curved line at the will of the operator;

8. A machine for use in heel manufacture, comprising a flexible elongated holder for a column of heel blanks arranged face to face, and means for maintaining the longitudinal axis of the holder in a straight line or in various curved lines at the will of the operator.

9. A machine for use in heel manufacture, comprising a flexible elongated holder for a column of heel blanks arranged face to face, and means for imparting various degrees of curvature to the longitudinal axis of the holder.

10. A machine for use in heel manufacture, comprising a flexible elongated friction tube for holding a column of heel blanks, means for supporting the tube approximately at its center and means for exerting bending stress at the ends of the tube to impart various degrees of curvature to its 1011- gitu dinal aXi s.

11. In a machine for use in heel manufacture, an elongated holder for a column of heel blanks comprising a plurality of substantially parallel flexible rods, in combination with means for simultaneously bending said rods While maintaining them in substantially parallel. relation.

12. In a machine for use in heel manufacture, the combination of an elongated friction holder for maintaining a. column of heels under pressure comprising a plurality of parallel flexible rods for engaging the edges of the heels and means for drawing said rods toward each other, of means for forcing a column of heels through said holder in a curved path.

An elongated holder for a column of heel blanks comprising longitudinally flexible supporting means for the breast faces of the blanks, in combination With means for pressing the blanks against said supporting means.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

JOSEPH H. POPE. 

